Standish Area Chamber of Commerce stays neutral on Gitmo issue

STANDISH — The Standish Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Board issued a press release Monday, letting its members and the public know the Chamber will not pick a side on the issue of transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to the Standish Maximum Correctional Facility (SMF).

“We’ve had visits, we’ve got phone calls,” said Chamber President Andrew Radatz. “We’re not taking a stand for or against it.”

A portion of the press release follows:

“As an organization that supports our local businesses we think it would be unethical for us to take a position that strips away our member’s individuality. We are not at liberty to try to take away their voice or to speak for them on a business level or personally. So when asked how the Chamber feels, you would need to contact all of our members and ask them individually. … The Chamber is not compiled of faceless businesses but people… real people like you and I with their own thoughts, views and opinions. The facts are out there and we strongly encourage them to get the facts, form their individual opinions and let their voice be heard.”

“We can’t support anyone’s personal views,” Radatz added. “We’ve got over 100 members. … A chamber member might be 100-percent against this, another chamber member might be 100-percent for this.”

Radatz also said no business owners have said they would drop out of the chamber if the transfer did in fact take place.

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